# Merge existing duplicate observations \*and\* the identifications and comments on each

**URL:** <https://forum.inaturalist.org/t/merge-existing-duplicate-observations-and-the-identifications-and-comments-on-each/39302>\
**Category:** Feature Requests\
**Created:** [February 13, 2023, 6:53pm UTC](https://forum.inaturalist.org/t/merge-existing-duplicate-observations-and-the-identifications-and-comments-on-each/39302 "2023-02-13T18:53:57Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 1\
**Showing post:** 7

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**Author:** ![jdmore](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/forum.inaturalist.org/jdmore/32/1116_2.png) [@jdmore](https://forum.inaturalist.org/u/jdmore)\
**Post date:** [February 14, 2023, 4:29am UTC](https://forum.inaturalist.org/t/merge-existing-duplicate-observations-and-the-identifications-and-comments-on-each/39302/7 "2023-02-14T04:29:40Z")

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> [@bugbaer](#):
>
> might be a problem if an identifier took a look at the observation with the good photo, quickly added or confirmed an ID, and then took a while to come up with an ID for the observation with the more challenging photo

Maybe I’m missing something, but if two observations have different photos, I generally don’t think of them as “duplicates.”

Although if they are different photos of the same individual organism taken at the same time, then yes, I agree that they should have been posted in a single observation, and that merging them with comments and IDs might result in unintended association of the comments and IDs with the newly merged set of photos.

So might be best to implement at the same time as this feature request:  
[https://forum.inaturalist.org/t/have-system-add-a-comment-when-photos-or-audio-change/14985](https://forum.inaturalist.org/t/have-system-add-a-comment-when-photos-or-audio-change/14985)

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